Yay! Christmas Week has arrived! Christmas Day is fast approaching *woo hoo* and there’s lots to look forward to here on Book Chick City. So sit back with a glass of mulled wine and a delicious mince pie and enjoy!
Entangled Publishing is pleased to offer new imprints,
Flirts and
Ever Afters. ”
All I Want for Christmas” (So nice of Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber to do the promo single for this title), by Ros Clarke, and
“Holly’s First Noel,” by Faye Robertson, are paving the way for these two lines. We hope you enjoy our holiday gifts to you with these Christmas novellas. Flirts are priced at just 86p (.99 cents) and enjoy Ever Afters for only £2.21 ($2.99).
Meet the authors behind the Christmas magic…
Meet Faye Robertson
Faye Robertson lives in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand with her wonderful husband and gorgeous teenage son. She writes fun, flirty, and sexy contemporary romances for the modern woman who likes intelligent, spirited heroines, and hunky but approachable heroes. She’s won several romance writing competitions and is a member of the Romance Writers of New Zealand. She would much rather immerse herself in reading or writing romance than do the dusting and ironing, which is why it’s not a great idea to pop round if you have any allergies. She also writes romance under the name Serenity Woods.
Buy your copy here:
Faye Robertson Online
I wanted to write an enchanting Christmas love story, something sweet and sexy that would lift the heart. So the first thing I had to ask myself was: What makes Christmas magical?
Is it the weather? Living in the sub-tropical Northland of New Zealand where summers are hot and humid sometimes makes me long for a white Christmas. I was thinking about winter in Scotland and the beautiful shores of Loch Ness that first got me started on a story about a couple of work colleagues who travel to Scotland on a festive retreat, and what might happen if they get snowed in to their cottage and end up falling in love. So I had the right weather—was it enough to make the story “magical”?
Next, I asked myself, why do both these people—who are almost strangers—want to spend Christmas away from home? Surely its family that makes Christmas special? We’re told continually that it’s the “most wonderful time of the year”. Pictures of happy families and loving couples are all over the TV and internet. But what if you don’t conform to society’s golden model?
Many people have lost loved ones around Christmastime, and it makes the festive season so much harder to bear when it’s the anniversary of that person’s passing. This is what got me thinking about Noel, whose wife died on Christmas Eve from breast cancer three years ago. He’s spent the previous two Christmases alone watching mindless action movies and getting drunk. He’s done more than his share of grieving, and deep down he’s ready for love, but the lingering guilt at the notion of betraying his wife won’t go away. Noel’s young and passionate—he misses sex and companionship and he wants children. But he’s also loyal and devoted. How is he supposed to move on?
Enter Holly, who doesn’t fit the traditional perfect Christmas image either. At the beginning of the story, her partner breaks up with her, leaving her with a tonne of Christmas food and a long holiday void of love and happiness. So when Noel suggests she join him on his retreat, she takes, oh, all of five seconds to say yes. Together they watch action movies, wait for the Loch Ness Monster, and eat beans on toast for Christmas dinner, determined not to conform to society’s idea of the perfect day, and yet somehow the time is more special than any Holly’s ever spent before. Which brings us back to the question: what makes Christmas magical?
I think the answer is, in a way, idiosyncrasy. The most memorable Christmases I’ve had are the ones where the oven broke down and we ended up eating sandwiches, or there was a power cut and we spent the evening by candlelight, telling stories. It’s not about conforming to society’s ideal. And certainly this is Holly and Noel’s experience. They capture the magic of Christmas in their own special way.
About “Holly’s First Noel”
Music teacher Holly Jones is in a festive predicament. Her boyfriend just dumped her the week before Christmas, so why is she only depressed he made off with the mince pies? When the charming science teacher next door overhears the dreaded call and suggests she accompany him on his Scottish holiday retreat, she accepts, eager to spend a quiet week rediscovering herself.
Noel Coward’s wife died on Christmas Eve three years ago. To bury the memories of that day, he spends the holidays getting drunk and watching action movies—which makes him perfect company for a fellow teacher in need of solitude. Except, instead of wallowing in his grief, Noel finds himself comforted by Holly’s presence, fascinated by her mind, and after one innocent kiss, on fire for her touch. As the snow piles up outside, the temperature inside soars, while together, they discover the human heart’s amazing capacity to heal…and love.
Meet Ros Clarke
Ros Clarke is a writer, a student, a church worker, a crafter, a blogger, a twitterer, a lazy gardener, and an appalling housekeeper. She is interested in almost everything except cricket and football (US and UK) and mostly she likes happy endings in fiction and in real life.
Every year, the Christmas music appears in the shops earlier and earlier, so that by the time it gets to December, it already feels like it could be Christmas every day, never mind wishing for it. Lots of Christmas songs are just cheerful, jolly music to get the Christmas spirit going. But the songs I love are the ones that have a little bit extra – melancholy or wonder or innocence.
Last week at my church the choir held a tea party for the elderly members of our congregation. The choir sang beautifully but there’s no doubt that the highlight of the event was the performance of Bing Crosby’s classic, Do You Hear What I Hear? (not to be confused with the dreadful JLS single, Do You Feel What I Feel?). A small group of five and six year old girls sang the first two verses, with the choir taking over for the last two. There was not a dry eye in the house.
When the heroine of my story took to the karaoke machine, there were plenty of songs for her to choose from. Great Christmas party classics like Rocking Around the Christmas Tree and I Wish It Could Be Christmas Every Day. Old-fashioned ballads like The Christmas Song and Winter Wonderland. And then there are the love songs. For a long time, I thought Anna was going to sing Wham’s classic Last Christmas but it just wasn’t quite right. And then I found it. On Twitter. With a link to the Macy’s ad featuring Mariah Carey and Justin Bieber. Inspiration really does strike in the oddest places!
All I Want For Christmas Is You is the perfect song for Anna with her desperate crush on her co-worker Hugh. Christmas is a hard time for Anna, who looks after her mother with Alzheimer’s disease. She doesn’t need presents or Christmas trees or snow. She just needs someone to be there, to give her a hug, to help out when things are tough. All she wants for Christmas is Hugh (with apologies for the dreadful pun!)
About “All I Want for Christmas”
Last night, Anna Gardner was the life of the office Christmas party—right up until she threw herself at gorgeous advertising executive playboy, Hugh Munro. Again. Last year, Hugh let her pretend their passionate kiss never happened, but this year he’s determined to make Anna admit she wants him as much as he wants her.
Except, Hugh doesn’t know the office party is the only night of the year his friend lets her hair down. That every hour she’s away from the office is spent caring for her sickly mother. That her mother’s condition, early-onset Alzheimer’s disease, is hereditary.
When Hugh finds out what she’s been hiding, he’s forced to do some serious soul-searching. It’s not fair to Anna or her mother for him to get involved casually, but casual relationships are all he knows. Can he prove to himself—and to Anna—that she’s all he wants for Christmas?
Entangled publishing are kindly giving away
‘Holly’s First Noel’ and
‘All I Want for Christmas’ - you choose which ebook you would like to win.
This giveaway is INTERNATIONAL and ends 22nd Dec 2011
To enter please follow instructions below
GOOD LUCK!
/*{literal}{/literal}*/ a Rafflecopter giveaway
PLEASE VISIT BOOK CHICK CITY TO ENTER THE GIVEAWAY
15 Comments
Fabulous festive giveaway – and SO hard to choose which book I'd like to win!!
Reply
What makes Christmas special? Carols, mince pies, kids faces, parties, reunited family – the whole thing is wonderful when all the work is done and I can just let my hair down and enjoy it!
Reply
Hi there! Just wanted to say thank you for having me on your blog! I hope whoever wins the copy of Holly enjoys the story, and I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!:)
Reply
Being with family, listening to music, the delicious food, and the decorations make Christmas magical to me.
Reply
Being with family is what makes Christmas special for me. I enjoy watching my young nieces & nephews enjoy their presents. Without them, it would just be another day.
Reply
The smiles on my kids faces is the most magical feeling for me… No matter what they receive or what we do, they enjoy this time of the year!
Reply
Seeing our grandchildren and children christmas day, Then an evening with our feet up in peace watching christmas films!
Irene Jackson
Reply
Christmas is a special time of year for us, celebrating the birth of Christ, spending time with friends and loved ones and sharing memories.
It's my favorite time of year!
Reply
I absolutely love Christmas! Everything about it… the music, the tree, the cold and mostly, the company
I just wish there would be children in my family, so it would be even more special… I guess we'll have to wait a couple more years for me and my boyfriend to start thinking about having kiddies of our own!
Reply
The magic of Christmas happens when the whole family gets together to open presents and everyone is overjoyed! ♥
Thanks for the awesome giveaway!
)
Reply
Christmas is a great setting for stories. I can't wait to read these!!! Thanks for the giveaway!
Reply
Being with family is definitely the best part of Christmas for me! Great post, so many fab titles! – Becca @ Glitterinthecity.blogspot.com
Reply
I guess for me the thing that makes Christmas magical are the awesome lights and songs but most of all it is having family with me.
Happy Holidays!!!!
Deb
Reply
What makes Christmas magical is the decorations, the tree, the children and family. Tore923@aol.com
Reply
Thanks for the opportunity! Both books sound fabulous.
Reply